Thread idea: explain something Fallout 3 didn't (fanon)

[Atomkilla]

Damn, that Megaton concept art is sweet. I've seen it before but I'm always awestruck. That, and Vault concept by the same artist (Adam Adamowicz, I believe) are breath-taking and (literally) paint a picture of what FO3 could have been. People may hate on it, but FO3 had great design most of time. Even though parts of it may be against lore or even logic itself (such as Megaton here - hauling airplane parts which weigh tons miles across rocky and harsh desert just to build a city around an undetonated nuke? What?), from weapons to scenery, much of it was well-designed, even though it was often ill-presented or poorly used.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Because it's interesting for people who are into worldbuilding and writing. If thinking through these kinds of problems and design issues in a creative way isn't your thing... then this isn't the thread for you I guess?

If you have followed any of my posts in the past than you know that this is one of the areas in which I specialize.
To something clear, if something new has been introduced that feels like a good addition but it not properly or well enough explained, I jump on the chance to do so.

When something is introduced that does not make much sense in the context of the universe, and it is expected from fans themselves to fill in the holes because the writers who came up with this stuff could not be bothered to actually work out their ideas, I don't think we should do their work for them.

 

[Wumbology]

You apparently aren't getting that this isn't to "do Bethesda's work for them". How we're even "doing" their work is odd, given that Bethesda doesn't benefit from this thread. This is just a thread to offer creative answers and resolutions to the various things that were not explained in Fallout 3, in whatever way is imaginable. If you don't want to do it, don't. Other people are free to as they wish. it's nothing but fanon and headcanon, man.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Okay that is true.
Sorry for the negativity.

 

[Crni Vuk]

Damn, that Megaton concept art is sweet. I've seen it before but I'm always awestruck. That, and Vault concept by the same artist (Adam Adamowicz, I believe) are breath-taking and (literally) paint a picture of what FO3 could have been. People may hate on it, but FO3 had great design most of time. Even though parts of it may be against lore or even logic itself (such as Megaton here - hauling airplane parts which weigh tons miles across rocky and harsh desert just to build a city around an undetonated nuke? What?), from weapons to scenery, much of it was well-designed, even though it was often ill-presented or poorly used.

As far as Megaton goes I wish they would have actually chose an underground Missile silo as base for the town. It would also made a lot more sense.

 

[TheChosen1]

Damn, that Megaton concept art is sweet. I've seen it before but I'm always awestruck. That, and Vault concept by the same artist (Adam Adamowicz, I believe) are breath-taking and (literally) paint a picture of what FO3 could have been. People may hate on it, but FO3 had great design most of time. Even though parts of it may be against lore or even logic itself (such as Megaton here - hauling airplane parts which weigh tons miles across rocky and harsh desert just to build a city around an undetonated nuke? What?), from weapons to scenery, much of it was well-designed, even though it was often ill-presented or poorly used.

That's another problem with F3, lot's of good ideas that just flopped and were 'meh'

 

[Atomic Postman]

The whole plot.

Everything beyond the G.O.A.T is just the dreams of a furtive Vault Dweller with daddy issues and an imagination filled with Grognak the Barbarian and Old World sci-fi flicks.

 

[Matt the Czar]

Why did DC (a metropolis) resort to using bottle caps for money? In Fallout, they were in the middle of nowhere, but the water merchants could pay with water, and bottle caps could not easily be made in the desert without specialized tools. DC has actual banks, actual novelty coin manufactures [like subway tokens; video arcade tokens; doubloons for convention events, and the like]. The banks are full of actual US coinage. The currency exchanges would have forign coins; including actual gold Krugerrands. DC also [presumably has a glass recyclery and probably worthless troves of millions of bottle caps; not to mention bottling companies with the machinery to stamp out a [practically] infinite supply of new caps on demand.]

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How did Jet [bottled brahmin fart] get into pre-war storage in DC [and labeled as "Jet"]; when Myron invented the stuff in California over a 160 years after the war.

In NV, there was a quest to deactivate a bottling plant to avoid destabilizing the market. Also, diamond prices in real life are kept artificially high by mining cartels. Tenpenny or someone similar probably has seized all the bottlers, and leaves the soda machines out because of their negligible effect. He also has bullied major vendors into only accepting caps, and has therfore instilled the belief that caps are the only currency worth something. If he can produce a nuclear detonator from somewere because a city OBSCURES HIS VIEW, he can do it. Also, by killing him you have probably destabilized the economy.
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This anachronistic drug is no doubt a manmade chemical with similar effects to the postwar drug, with the name being unknown, so it is called Jet. Or it's just a mistake by the ingame loot distributor.

 

[The Doctor]

The whole plot.

Everything beyond the G.O.A.T is just the dreams of a furtive Vault Dweller with daddy issues and an imagination filled with Grognak the Barbarian and Old World sci-fi flicks.

That explains Mothership Zeta...
Perhaps you never really made it out of Tranquility Lane
How deep are the dreams?

 

[Super Mutant]

Why no one in the game has to drink water except homeless people

 

[Matt the Czar]

BAH! Only those PLEBS need Project Purity. Us noble folk just condense water in our veins when we are close to ALL THE MONEY we have!

 

[Walpknut]

The Lone Wanderer actually got shot while he was sleeping so his mind made up a whole nonsensical story where they would be a hero no matter what they did. That explains the whole game.

 

[Doomfullord]

Here is a nice, simple, and rather dirty (if you catch my drift) way of explaining why every NPC acts like they have some sort of neurological disease causing them to act like such idiots. It's just that, they all have brain cancer or something from the ambient radiation. Now where's my Pulitzer award?

 

[fred2]

Why did DC (a metropolis) resort to using bottle caps for money? In Fallout, they were in the middle of nowhere, but the water merchants could pay with water, and bottle caps could not easily be made in the desert without specialized tools. DC has actual banks, actual novelty coin manufactures [like subway tokens; video arcade tokens; doubloons for convention events, and the like]. The banks are full of actual US coinage. The currency exchanges would have forign coins; including actual gold Krugerrands. DC also [presumably has a glass recyclery and probably worthless troves of millions of bottle caps; not to mention bottling companies with the machinery to stamp out a [practically] infinite supply of new caps on demand.]

iirc, the existence of caps in FO:NV was just as puzzling, and was rationalized by JS offscreen. Better community feedback especially on topics like lore is one of the the habits I wish Beth would invest in.

Anyway, I suppose that whatever the reason that kept DC in its desolate state of inhospitable lawlessness for 200 years, left its pre-war establishments ravaged and prevented the establishment of strong local currency. Meanwhile bottle caps could have been established as de facto currency through roaming merchants.

However, IMO the problem is that bottle caps were pitched as symbols of post-nuclear economy (that was readily available, but in limited supply), but IMO they don't make sense. Any marginally technological advanced faction could easily flood the market with (cheap) counterfeit, and in FO:NV we seen intact manufacturing plant with presses lying around for everyone.. I don't see how caps could remain a viable currency then, nor further along in DC. With that said, I wasn't too bothered by this, on the contrary i loved finding the bottle caps again. (Also I bet that FO4 won't have them, again FO1-FO3, FO2-FO4 )

 

[Neon Child]

I can't say this is specific to Fo3 but to vault-tec in general through out the series. I believe that vault-tec was actually developed by a group of aliens. I do know that Vault-tec was commissioned by the government, however a lot of the experiments don't really seem very useful to the enclave because making super soldiers (which would be mutants) and using the FEV (also making mutants) would really fit their MO. Even the idea behind having a bunch of clones and having citizens sacrifice one another to survive seems like a fruitless study for the enclave. However it has been stated that the aliens seen in the game to study other species and these experiments WOULD benefit their studies. Understand human psyche, what would happen if they were introduced to certain mutations or genetic modification, or anything else who favor the aliens. It would also make it easier to study and (when necessary) preserve us in large number without having to take up to much space on their ships. If they wanted to safe us, exterminate us or simply introduce a new species into our world all of these experiments would be perfect. When looking at the enclave, most of the experiments that were use would either be to late or completely unnecessary for their development. Even if you want to say that they resorted to controlling Deathclaws, they were produced independently of the vault-tec experiments and do make for very powerful allies against super mutants and the BOS.

 

[Walpknut]

No aliens, Bad newbie bad. Also you have no idea about lore before Fo3, double Bad Newbie.

 

[Neon Child]

Please explain to me why Aliens do not fit into the Fallout Uni in the way that I explained. I mean I agree that throwing them in for the cool/wow factor or for the lulz is not okay, however in the way that I explain they serve a logic and realistic purpose. Also to say I have no idea about lore before the 3 game is in correct. I have definitely done research and that is why I said what I said about the Enclave. You might assume that I was using Fo3 as my full bases, but I'm really not.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

I'm pretty sure it was explicitly stated that the Enclave power armor was a "modern" design by Eden.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

Why did DC (a metropolis) resort to using bottle caps for money? In Fallout, they were in the middle of nowhere, but the water merchants could pay with water, and bottle caps could not easily be made in the desert without specialized tools. DC has actual banks, actual novelty coin manufactures [like subway tokens; video arcade tokens; doubloons for convention events, and the like]. The banks are full of actual US coinage. The currency exchanges would have forign coins; including actual gold Krugerrands. DC also [presumably has a glass recyclery and probably worthless troves of millions of bottle caps; not to mention bottling companies with the machinery to stamp out a [practically] infinite supply of new caps on demand.]

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How did Jet [bottled brahmin fart] get into pre-war storage in DC [and labeled as "Jet"]; when Myron invented the stuff in California over a 160 years after the war.

As to the latter question:

Despite the hardships along the way, caravaneers braved the Great Plains in order to bring trade goods to various Texan nation-states, the Midwestern BoS and the Enclave. One of the more popular trade goods was an instant best seller- Jet. It quickly replaced conventional methamphetamines across the eastern sea board, and DC was no exception. Jet manufacturing operations were a common sight in pre-War ruins, with much stock getting left behind once a particularly bad couple of years bought a sudden end to farming in the Capital. Many starved, with Jet operations just falling apart, leaving product mixed in amongst the ruins.

 

[Hardboiled Android]

I think the biggest question about Fallout 3 is why there is still human life in the Capital Wasteland after two centuries of the lack of rebuilding and progress.

Things had been getting better for a long time, with farming communities arising here and there. However, following the Enclave's arrival in Raven Rock, petty wasteland states were toppled by the Talon Company Corporation, which led to increased mutant activities, all coupled with a crazy drought and increase of radiation leaking into the Potomac. What we see in DC has not been the general trend.